 Critics have often focused on the theme of marriage present in Cary's play, such as how Mariam's tumultuous marriage may have been written as a response by Cary to her own relationship with her husband.Mariam is caught between her duty as a wife and her own personal feelings, much as Cary might have been, as a Catholic-leaning woman married to a Protestant husband.The theme of female agency and divorce is also a common topic for critics.